I have a nice Star-Trac treadmill that I don't use so much anymore (running hurts the back), so I build a small rear extension platform for it and set up a bike and trainer. Nice double use of the space. As boring as treadmill running felt (once trained for a marathon 80% on the trainer), it seems like bike trainers are even more boring.

BUT, hill training was a bit easier on this thing. I would crank up the resistance and gearing so that I was doing aggressive, stand-up pedalling. Two minutes standing, one minute sitting repeates for extended sessions really improved my hill climbing for the subsequent summer season.

A friend has recommended a Kurt Kinetic fluid to replace my cheapo Nashbar trainer. Am considering.